Sound Of Sirens

Ich komme gerade von der Jahres-Konferenz des Rates für Nachhaltige Entwicklung. Alles in allem geht/ging es dort (noch) sehr wenig um Selbstermächtigung. (Und was die Moderatorin unseres Forums von einer ‘Nachhaltigkeits-Konferenz der TV Sender’ erzählt hat, war ehrlich gesagt auch nicht sehr inspirierend…) Es geht immer wieder um Konsumenten und Konsumverhalten, Hilfe für Projekte, die sich in anderen Teilen der Welt befinden, hilflose Kommunikationskonzepte in den Medien…etc. Aber nirgends ist die Rede, Menschen zu unterstützen hier und jetzt von abhängigen Konsumenten zu selbstverantwortlichen Produzenten zu werden. (Eine Möglichkeit dazu bietet das Permakultur Konzept. www.permakultur-info.de) Und natürlich werden auch nicht unsere Gesellschaftstrukturen als solches oder unsere Art zu Denken in Frage gestellt, die ja eigentlich all das geschaffen hat.

Der britische TV Kanal Channel 4 hat jetzt ein Projekt gestartet, das sich Landshare nennt. Es geht darum, dass Einzelpersonen und Organisationen, die Landflächen besitzen, das nicht oder kaum genutzt wird, diese für Menschen zur Verfügung stellen, die Gärten zur lokalen Obst und Gemüseproduktion anlegen möchten. Ziel ist es, britisches Land produktiver zu machen und frische, lokale Produkte für alle zugänglich.

Inspiriert wurde das ganze wahrscheinlich unter anderem durch das Garden Share Projekt der Transition Town Initiative in Totnes.

Hier findet sich ein ausführlicher Artikel: www.doorsofperception.com

I suggest you browse their site, archives, programs…enjoy!

KPFAs mission:

To promote cultural diversity and pluralistic community expression

To contribute to a lasting understanding between individuals of all nations, races, creeds and colors

To promote freedom of the press and serve as a forum for various viewpoints

To maintain an independent funding base

http://kpfa.org/

Gaia Education, a project of the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN), is an international team of educators developing curricula and courses on the Sustainable Development of Urban and Rural Settlements. They created an Ecovillage Design Curriculum, which is the basis of an four weeks course. It is an official contribution to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UNDESD). To supply the courses they developed four books in corporation with worldwide leaders of sustainable education and others like Vandana Shiva and Starhawk. The sources are read as Who is Who of Deep Ecology. The first book “Beyond You & Me - Inspirations and Wisdom for Building Community” with 289 content pages is available for free to download as an pdf document.

Beyond You & Me is the first in a series of four books that introduces the curriculum. It is for anyone seeking sustainable solutions to the complex problems of climate change, peak oil and the global inequalities of North and South. These volumes are also intended to supplement to the Ecovillage Design Education (EDE) teaching programme for both students and teachers and are edited by ecovillagers from all over the world who designed the EDE.

Get the document. (click right, save target as…)
Visit the Gaia Education website.

Hoping that this is an inspiration for us here in Germany and Europe: Check out www.localharvest.org

LocalHarvest is America’s #1 organic and local food website. We maintain a definitive and reliable “living” public nationwide directory of small farms, farmers markets, and other local food sources. Our search engine helps people find products from family farms, local sources of sustainably grown food, and encourages them to establish direct contact with small farms in their local area. Our online store helps small farms develop markets for some of their products beyond their local area.

Spread the word!

Again the States…
On Saturday, September 27, a national mobilization will be launched to say, “I’m ready for the green economy.”, ready to tackle the climate crisis by building a green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty.
Green Jobs Now is a National Day of Action that will empower everyday people to stage hundreds of grassroots events throughout the country. There will be a special focus on low-income communities, communities of color and indigenous people.
Right now, there are millions of people ready to work and countless jobs to be done that will strengthen the economy at home. There are thousands of buildings that need to be weatherized, solar panels to be installed, and wind turbines to be erected. There are communities that need local and sustainable food and people ready to farm the crops. There are public transit systems and smart electricity grids in need of engineers and electricians. Americans are ready to build the new economy.

And guess how they will launch it:
There will be block parties, house parties, teach-ins, living room discussions, public programs with food, music, poetry. It is up to you. As long as the event is positive and fun, the possibilities are endless… and they make it easy for you to join!

The great thing about the States is that beside the most ignorant politicians and the most unethical corporate system you will find a lot of people with a sense of self-responsibility and creativity who put ideas into action.

For example….

‘The Sustainable Living Roadshow (SLR) is a caravan of educators and entertainers who tour the country in a fleet of renewable fuel vehicles to empower communities and individuals to utilize sustainable living strategies for a healthier planet. Visiting k-12 schools, university campuses and community festivals across the United States, the caravan sets up off-the-grid eco-carnivals with experiential learning villages, featuring workshops, speakers and entertainment.’

Read into their principles and ethics, it’s inspiring! Have a look at the diversity of offerings/elements, it’s fun! Makes me want it to happen in Germany…

‘Art, Ecology & Education provides pathways to an integrated and sustainable way of living. We participate in the development and integration of an ecologically conscious and systemic worldview.
Using a holistic and transformative approach in our work, we support individuals and groups in the process of transition towards a life sustaining society.’

Upcoming workshops (in german and english):
12+13 July CHANGE - a different worldview for sustainable living
20-24 August ‘EFTERFESTEN Gathering for Sustainability’, Sweden
3-7 September SHIFTING TERRAIN - dancing new ways of perceiving
20+21 September PERMACULTURE - the Basics

Next AEE Evening at the HUB, Berlin:
9 July, 8pm, CSA / Community Supported Agriculture - Conscious consumption one step ahead

Art, Ecology & Education (www.art-ecology-education.org) works as international, intercultural consortium based in Berlin.

Participate in shifting the paradigm / feel free to get in touch!

Check them out!

The Global Oneness Project is a web-based video initiative exploring how the simple notion of oneness can be lived in our increasingly complex world.

We’re traveling the globe interviewing creative and courageous people who base their lives and work on the fundamental understanding that we are all connected and thus bear great responsibility for each other and our shared world. Our living library of films is available for free from our website or on DVD for events and educational use.

We are committed to documenting what is being born during this time of planetwide transformation. While we are confronted with unmistakable signs that our current way of life is no longer sustainable, inspiring and innovative people and programs are blossoming in all areas of our collective society. From a pay-it-forward café in Ahmedabad, to a youth program that brings African wisdom to Los Angeles, from the General Secretary of the Andean Nations, to the spiritual guardian of Ayers Rock, our film subjects live and work with many of the following values, attitudes, and beliefs:

* We are responsible to each other, the earth, and future generations.
* There are enough resources for us all, if we share.
* Free exchanges of information allow for greater, collective creative potential.
* Love, care and compassion have the power to transform the fabric of society.

We hope that by showing the diverse ways oneness is expressed—in the fields of sustainability, conflict resolution, spirituality, art, economics, indigenous culture, and social justice—others will be inspired to create solutions to personal and community challenges from their own lived understanding of oneness.

www.globalonenessproject.org

Roberto Perez, a cuban permaculture designer, talks about how Cuba survived Peak Oil. Also there is a documentary about this: ‘The Power of Community - How Cuba survived Peak Oil‘.

My main point would be the sense of community, of culture and music that exists in Cuba. Wonder what that cultural base would be in European countries or the US…

Related articles on Sound Of Sirens:
Energy Watch Group: Peak Oil ist ‘jetzt’
Life is Rhythm is Dance: The Afro-Cuban Rumba

As flashy as the title may sound, let’s give them another flashy name, let’s call them renegades of architecture. Working with what is there (which is mostly considered garbage) they are creating sustainable and affordable housing. As Michael Reynolds, the architect who builds ‘earthships’ since the seventies (with much opposition of local authorities, so that you wonder about their interests…) put it: ‘I don’t care about anything but the fucking planet!’

Earthships are earth-sheltered autonomous buildings made of tires rammed with earth, which are usually arranged in “U” or horseshoe shaped modules. Each tire is rammed full of earth manually using a sledge hammer. Windows on the sunny side admit light and heat. The open end of the “U” shaped structure faces South in the northern hemisphere, and North in the southern hemisphere, so that the house will catch maximum sunlight in the colder months. An Earthship is designed to interface with its environment wherever possible and create its own utilities. (via Wikipedia)

See the trailer of the documentary ‘Garbage Warrior’ by Oliver Hodges, featuring Reynolds and his struggles.

Also: These buildings are affordable and you can participate and learn how to make them more and more all over the world. Google ‘earthship’, search for it on youtube, check out our links - and spread the word! Again: This is do-it-yourself stuff! You don’t have to wait. You just find some people and you can take on the responsibility to create a more sustainable future now…

How to find Earthships and Garbage Warriors:
Brighton Earthship (England)
Earthship Austria
Earthship Biotecture (US)
Earthship Biotecture (Europe, site in french and english)
not too far from Earthships: Bubble Buildings (german, english, spanish)

Die Energy Watch Group veröffentlichte im Mai ihren neuen Bericht. Ausserdem ist heute, am 22.5.08 der Rohölpreis so hoch wie noch nie. Und in den letzten 12 Monaten ist der Preis um 100 Prozent gestiegen. Eigentlich ein guter Grund sich entsprechende Sound Of Sirens Artikel nochmal durchzulesen.
Hier ein kurzer Auszug aus dem neuen Bericht der Energy Watch Group:

Die wichtigsten Erkenntnisse

Peak Oil ist ‘jetzt’

Seit einiger Zeit tobt eine heftige Debatte um das weltweite Ölfördermaximum („Peak Oil“). Institutionen mit großer Nähe zur Energiebranche, wie etwa das Consulting-Unternehmen CERA, betreiben eine Kampagne zur „Entlarvung“ der „Peak-Oil-Theorie“. Die vorliegende Studie gehört zu einer langen Reihe von Arbeiten, die innerhalb und außerhalb der ASPO (Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas, etwa: Vereinigung zum Studium des Fördermaximums von Öl und Gas) entstanden sind und zeigen, dass das Ölfördermaximum keinesfalls mehr als „Theorie“ bezeichnet werden kann, sondern eine Realität ist, die sich bereits vor unseren Augen abspielt.
…Den Analysen unseres Szenarios zufolge ist das weltweite Ölfördermaximum 2006 eingetreten…
…Die wichtigste Erkenntnis ist, dass die Ölförderung nach dem Peak einen steilen Rückgang erleben wird.

This is an interview with Chris Johnstone, a psychologist, specializing in the psychology of change.
It was held on the day of the unleashing of Transition Town Lewes in England. Johnstone feels inspired by communities creating their own energy descent plan and gives an insight into the Transition Towns Initiatives and its larger context.

Find the other parts of the interview.

Find more Sound Of Sirens articles connected to Transition Towns.